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Post by andyc251 on Apr 15, 2008 20:34:58 GMT -5
um hmmm...seems that i recall andy advising us just recently in the 'laurasweetou...etc' thread to calm down, relax, 'just deal with it' when you don't agree with someone online. he even included a cartoon to illustrate the point that it's foolish to be upset when someone is 'wrong on the internet'. and now he completely flips out, cursing and ranting because he disagrees with skookum... Oi, shut it! ;D triassic, you're just sore because I used a facepalm in response to one of your posts, which was meant to be lighthearted, dont start holding grudges now. And the laurasweetou episode was all about a random troll talking crap, this is different because it's a member of the board talking crap and because..............er, it just is.
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Post by Claire on Apr 15, 2008 20:38:53 GMT -5
Group hug? ;D
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Post by Ouch on Apr 15, 2008 21:39:14 GMT -5
I'll gladly join in a group hug...well with Devs at least
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Post by matisse on Apr 15, 2008 22:05:29 GMT -5
Hey skookum, so how is it you're able to travel all around the world? How do you support yourself financially? Do you use a power chair or manual? Do you have any pain as a result of your condition?
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Post by E on Apr 15, 2008 22:59:29 GMT -5
Hey skookum, so how is it you're able to travel all around the world? How do you support yourself financially? Do you use a power chair or manual? Do you have any pain as a result of your condition? Stole the words out of my fingers. You're too darn quick, sir.
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Post by matisse on Apr 15, 2008 23:16:45 GMT -5
You're too darn quick, sir. That's what she said............. [Gotta love The Office......]
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Post by E on Apr 16, 2008 7:14:36 GMT -5
I think I need to close my office, find a pension, and start living the crip dream.
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Post by Claire on Apr 16, 2008 7:18:14 GMT -5
No, you just need to have been born in a more socialist country, I think. Too late for you.
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Post by matisse on Apr 16, 2008 10:45:56 GMT -5
Well Skookum, why doesn't that explain the difference in the attitudes for you? It seems fairly obvious. You like where you are at, and what you have done, and believe that your disability allowed that to happen. Many other wheelers, including myself, are having to *overcome* our disability to succeed. That doesn't lead a fondness for it, of course.
I also agree with Jason about the stereotype you are perpetuating. Having people think that disability turns us into content, carefree, jobless world travelers on the taxes of other people's hard work, is not a good thing.
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Post by skookum on Apr 16, 2008 14:57:11 GMT -5
As for why I ended up living like I did all I can say is this: at 15 I was a semi-pro athlete and was advised to get the pension by my social worker. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time and one thing lead to another. Now I have a good academic career and a good life to boot.
These are going to be my last words on the issue. So I won’t miss the opportunity to say, thanks for all the abuse guys – it’s been a great learning.
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Phil
Junior Member
Posts: 82
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Post by Phil on Apr 16, 2008 15:00:43 GMT -5
I am really disappointed with most of my fellow wheelers here. You all seem to implicitly fall into the trap of normal society, where disability is seen as something that only entails suffering, pain, anguish and tragedy. I for my own part bless my disability every day, it allows me to see things from a different angle (like checking out womens butts straight on ) I get to see things about my fellow human beings that aren’t seen by many other ppl. Like how much – or how little – others interferes when they see someone have difficulties, and I can tell you all I come from a part of the world where ppl. mind their own business much more than any other part, and I know it for a fact as I have travelled far and wide to all continents and lived on a few of them. And Scandinavians are a-holes when it comes to helping each other even when it is obvious that help is needed, like if I go down a flight of stairs and halfway down somebody asks me “do you need a hand?” instead of holding on somewhere to ease the decent. A thing like that doen't make me whine and complain, though. To me it’s a question of personal integrity that I am able to do the things I do things I have taught myself from scratch to a large extend . What I really get a kick out of is the way I can act as a role model for all kinds of people, sometimes just by the chance meeting where they see me doing things that they wouldn’t have imagined wheelers do, it is like being a catalyst for them to think outside of the box. And I do recognize that some of you have this view also, like you, Tony, when you go out and rock the house with your band, and I am happy to see that you are in some kind of agreement with this. And I know that I wouldn’t trade my situation if I had the opportunity. There are ppl who have all kinds of other problems in their life that are equally hard to deal with and a lot of these problems are not as visible as mine, to me they are far worse off than I am because my disability is visible and theirs isn’t. Here I am thinking about all kinds of things, like mental health, social issues and other things that can be extremely bothersome, things that nobody notices unless they know the affected person. And then there are ppl who seem to be living the easy life, they have a good job, they have the nice house in the burbs, the kids, the two cars and all that is required to live well in western society – but what are their problems? I have no answer, but if that was me I’d be bored to death – call it “death by normalcy” if you will. And to me the things that the devs see in us that is so hard for others to see, are what i have just described. They see the man who is able to live a life despite the obvious adversity that comes with being a wheeler. Like AB aptly put it, it might be the recognition that we have been thru adversity and that makes us stronger than the average joe. And as both she and dolly have said in this thread – and a point that can be seen in many other posts – it is not the struggle and the suffering, in fact, it is something entirely different and perhaps the opposite of the struggle and the suffering that turns on that dev felling. So to all my fellow wheelers, please get into the fight against stupidity and stigmatism and join me in some crip pride here instead of falling into sullen misery and self pity. I want to thank casper for asking the question because it allowed me to vent my frustrations about this issue. So to all my fellow wheelers, please get into the fight against stupidity and stigmatism and join me in some crip pride here instead of falling into sullen misery and self pity. Wow. Just... wow. lol Do you find that your superhero cape gets caught in your wheels? lol
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Post by natasha on Apr 16, 2008 19:51:37 GMT -5
OK, whats happening in here??? This thread was a question for us and just turn into a fight of "dignity", "you're a cock", "you sucks",blah, blah,blah.... lol.....I guess this is not my place to comment into something that of course just the wheelers in here have the part to talk about..I would just advice this: Now I hope I don't get hate comments!! Don't do it biatches!!...
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Post by Sova on Apr 17, 2008 0:03:57 GMT -5
I wasn't going to give you any hate comments until you called us all biatches Natasha. Now you're gonna hear a whole lot of shit talk from me lol. Watch your back and sleep with one eye open
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Post by natasha on Apr 17, 2008 18:37:08 GMT -5
why ur response doesnt surprise me!... I didnt called everybody biatches just the biatches itselfs..So, u responded i guess youre one!! lol... So now youre a hater and a biatch?? wow!!! ....
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Post by Ciao Bella on Apr 22, 2008 2:01:19 GMT -5
Dear me ... How a perfectly legit and interesting question could turn into a cyber fist-fight, I'll never know. Except maybe Skookum should've posted his original political reply as a totally separate thread. Not agreeing with Skookum, but IMHO, he probably misconstrued Casper's wordings and took them to a whole new level - with Andy biting on the bait LOL. AB, your question about whether Skookum has been disabled all his life or if it is an "acquired" disability may hold the key to why he reacted the way he did. It makes sense (to me anyway) that if a person is born with a disability, he/she will not really know how to live as an AB, In other words, he/she will not know any better and will have no point of reference, and maybe this makes them less bitter about their situation. Fubb, Matisse, Tri - I am the first to yell out if I witness anyone scamming the system, but read Skookum's post again ... he was only 15 when he first was travelling as an athlete. My partner is an EAD and I know that sometimes, he gets grants that help with entry fees or travel fees. So Skookum may have been in the same situation, not to mention that his parents may have shouldered the costs. As a young adult backpacking around the world, I actually applaud him. How many people can say they've done what he's done? It's not hard to imagine that apart from his pension, he probably had some funds saved up, or his family encouraged him to travel by helping out financially. I don't like taking sides, but I feel that Skookum has been beaten and bashed once too many in this thread. Peace y'all LOL
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